to explore the rivers on the coast.* This should be a convincing evidence of the earnestness with which he prosecuted this adven

There, learning eats no more his thriftless books;

Nor valour, ostrich-like, his iron arms;

*

But all our youth take Hymen's lights in hand,

And fill each roof with honour'd progeny:

There, makes society adamantine chains,

And joins their hearts with wealth, whom wealth disjoin'd:

There healthful recreations strew the meads,

And make their mansions dance with neighbourhood,
Which here were drown'd in churlish avarice.

And there do palaces and temples rise

Out of the earth, and kiss th' enamour'd skies;
Where New Britannia humbly kneels to heaven,
The world to her, and both at her blest feet,

In whom the circles of all empire meet."

It is not altogether from the purpose to add the following lines from Chapman's best tragedy, "Bussy d'Ambois." They show that the poet had an eye for maritime discovery. Perhaps he had seen a fleet of Drake's return to port. The reader will thank us for giving them, for the sake of the noble illustration of a great moral. (By the bye, there is a verse, printed in italics, which is to be found in Shakspeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream.")

"And as great seamen, using all their wealth
And skills in Neptune's deep invisible paths,
In tall ships richly built, and ribb'd with brass,
To put a girdle round about the world,
When they have done it, coming near their haven,
Are fain to give a warning-piece, and call

A poor staid fisherman, that never pass'd
His country's sight, to waft and guide them in:
So when we wander furthest through the waves
Of glassy glory, and the gulfs of state,

Topp'd with all titles, spreading all our reaches,
As if each private arm would sphere the earth,
We must to virtue for her guide resort,

Or we shall shipwreck in our safest port."

* Oldys and Birch tell us that this vessel was named after himself, "The Wat." The vessel was but a pinnace, and was probably christened by Lady Ralegh, by the familiar diminutive of "Wat," her then only son, Walter, being between three and four years of age.

ture; for he had at the moment many affairs in hand which occupied his attention and engaged his time. Indeed, when Keymis returned and dedicated his narrative to him, he was out of the country, employed in a momentous enterprise-a relation of which will be found in the following chapter.

CHAPTER IV.

PHILIP II. of Spain having threatened a second invasion of England, which his recent successful siege of Calais, and the death of two of his most fell scourges, Sir John Hawkins and Sir Francis Drake, encouraged him to hope would be successful,

*

These two great naval commanders both died in the same expedition (they were joined in commission as generals of the fleet) against the West Indies. The former, it is generally believed, died of grief and vexation that his advice as to the conduct of the enterprise was overruled or disliked by his colleague; and Drake, of mortification that the expedition was not successful. Of either may be said, with equal truth, what was written of Sir Francis Drake

"The waves became his winding-sheet; the waters were his tomb;
But for his fame, the ocean sea was not sufficient room."

H

Queen Elizabeth determined, on the advice of her council, to chastise the presumption of her enemy by sending a force sufficient to destroy the Spanish shipping in their own harbours. Accordingly, a powerful fleet of ninety-six ships, containing fourteen thousand men, of whom one thousand were volunteers, was fitted out for this formidable purpose. These were joined by twenty-four Dutch ships, with two thousand six hundred men, but the services of these latter were not greatly called into requisition.

The Lord Admiral Howard and the Earl of Essex were joined in commission generals of this expedition, with a council, consisting of Lord Thomas Howard, Sir Walter Ralegh, Sir Francis Vere, and Sir Conyers Clifford, to whom was added Sir George Carew, to make the number of five. Lord Thomas Howard and Ralegh were also constituted admirals; and so the whole fleet was divided into four squadrons. Essex was impatient to be gone to attack the Queen's enemies, and to kill them all up one after the other with his own hand; but he received a rebuke from the Queen, who said in a letter to him-" Though we meant to drive it to the last considerations and utmost debates, as much as could be, yet we compared times so sufficiently, as a prince who knows what belongs to such a matter, that nothing should be done to retard you (being ready) one hour; for, as we know Ralegh not to be arrived, so we know, after it, some time to embark such an army must be required." Within ten days after this letter, on the 1st of June, 1596, the fleet sailed from Plymouth, and on the 20th it anchored in the bay of St. Sebastian, half a league from Cadiz.

The Lord Admiral and Essex decided that the town should be first attempted, so that the Spanish galleons and galleys, together with the forts of Cadiz, might not simultaneously discharge their fire upon the English fleet. The council of war concurred in this decision, at which, however, Ralegh was not present, having been sent the day before to stop such vessels as might pass out from St. Lucar or Cadiz along the coast. He returned just when Essex was putting his men into boats in order to land them. Upon this, Ralegh went aboard the Earl's ship and remonstrated with the rash and over-brave nobleman, protesting before all the colonels against the resolution come to by the Council. He gave the young commander (who was afraid of being thought afraid)

convincing reasons that his course would bring on a general ruin, the utter overthrow of the whole army, the loss of their own lives, and the imminent peril of the Queen's future safety. The Earl excused himself by laying the fault (if fault it were) to the Lord Admiral.* All the commanders and gentlemen besought Ralegh to dissuade the attempt, and, thereupon, Essex prayed him to persuade Howard to enter the port. This was easily done, and the permission conveyed to the Earl by Ralegh, who called out to him 'Entramos,' whereupon the gallant young Earl (he had not learned cowardice or caution from Leicester) threw his hat into the sea for joy, and prepared to weigh anchor.

The day being far spent, Ralegh counselled the deferring of the attack till next morning-(though, he tells us, some being desperately valiant, thought this a fault of mine")-which was agreed upon, as also, only now, was the disposition of the fleet, which was ordered as he recommended. He particularly advised that two great fly-boats should board each Spanish galleon, after the Queen's ships had sufficiently battered them. This being consented to, and the two generals persuaded to lead the body of the fleet, Sir Walter, in the Warspite, had the command of the van, which was to enter the harbour, and consisted of the Mary-Rose, commanded by Sir George Carew; the Lion, by Sir Robert Southwell; the Rainbow, by Sir Francis Vere; the Swiftsure, by Captain Cross; the Dreadnought, by Sir Conyers and Alexander Clifford; and the Nonpareil, by Mr. Robert Dudley; besides twelve London hired ships and the fly-boats-the Lord Thomas Howard leaving his own ship, the Mer Honneur, to go on board the Nonpareil. At the first break of day Ralegh weighed anchor, and bore

*It is marvellous that so skilful and practical a commander as the Lord Admiral should have advised so rash a measure. Ralegh, who had studied deeply the art of war, both on land and at sea, says that "the most part could not but perish in the sea ere they came to set foot on ground, and, if any arrived on shore, yet were they sure to have their boats cast on their heads, and twenty men, in so desperate an attempt, would have defeated them all."

†The author of the "Triumphs of Nassau" observes-"The resolution of giving Ralegh the van being oppugned by the Lord Thomas Howard, who said that honour belonged to him (as vice-admiral), it was concluded that both of them should go together; but Ralegh, as soon as it was day, to lose no time in weighing anchor, let slip, and thereby had the advantage of sailing first."